OWEN STROUD!!

"Who do you sound like?" people have been asking Owen Stroud a lot lately, often in baffled tones. "You sound like some singer I've heard for years, but I can't for the life of me pinpoint who. Who do other people usually say you sound like?"

To which Stroud replies with a dry smile: "Me."

He's kidding, but only partly. Over the years, Stroud has soaked up the plainspoken nonchalance of folksingers, the energy and emotion of rock vocalists, and the syncopation and projection of old-school crooners. At this point, he's comfortable in his own voice, no matter what song he chooses to deliver.

That crossroads of folk, rock, and swing is where Stroud firmly stands, with his finely-crafted lyrics, earworm melodies, and mesmerizing performances.

A native of Austin's northwest suburbs, Stroud spent several post-college years living in other states, including a few years in Nashville, before returning to south central Texas in 2020. He makes his home…